Life in the Slow Lane

Well, I never thought I'd be saying this, but my little Christmas baby has rubbed off on me over the last few years. I find myself wanting to put out my decorations, hit play on my Elvis CD, and watch Rudolph. But strangely, I am getting resistance on the home front. What gives?? I know it's early, I'm well aware of the Halloween candy still sitting on the table. But with the weather changing(only slightly lol), I'm in holiday mode.  Perhaps it's because I don't have much to do during the day. Perhaps it's because I love the nights of sitting with hot chocolate and staring at the lights. But I'm pretty sure it's because of the family that I am blessed to have, with now four amazing children that I can't wait to spend the holidays with! It could be worse. I could still be living in the days of Alex listening to Christmas music year round and wanting the tree up in July :)

Bah Humbug! Now I know I can't be the only person that feels this way. Christmas has gone from the best day of the year with so much family piled into the house that you can't breathe, to omg is it over yet? Maybe it has come with age for me, maybe it's being so far away from family year round, maybe it's the fact that it's always Christmas in my house, who knows. Whatever it is though, I can tell you nothing can make the Humbugging worse than some sad ass Christmas songs. So in no particular order I thought I'd share a few of my favorites. Why six? No good reason other than these are the ones that came right to mind. Blue Christmas by Elvis This cd has been a staple in my life forever. I have a special place in my heart for Elvis, so his holiday stuff is no different. This one is somber, catchy, and bluesy. Same Old Lang Syne by Dan Fogelberg At least 90% of my friends can relate to this song whether they want to admit it or not. To bump into someone, usu...

I could ask for important stuff like a responsible grownup would. You know, health, wealth, job security, blibbity bla bla. I like stuff. I'm not a materialistic girl, but I like stuff. Pretty stuff, fun stuff, gadgety stuff. So far this Christmas, even though it's not Christmas yet, I've ordered for myself or have gotten: Yup, all fun fun goodies! I'm sure I'll get more and buy more over the next few days, but if you ask me that's a fine start. So now onto my birthday wishlist. How about these hotties...Michael Kors you've rocked my world yet again....

Yes, of course this is supposed to be the hap-hap-happiest time of year. It’s Christmas! The snow is falling(well, for many of us), the songs are playing, the fire is going. People are a little kinder to each other, the kids are all being on their best behavior, and love fills the air. But I always have a few thoughts that go through my mind to remind me that sometimes it’s not always the happiest time. Sometimes it can be downright depressing. I am a C.C.C.. I always have been. I start off just fine, then before you know it the rain comes. I walk away, but find it hard to catch my breath. My mind swirls and I see flashes of my life. The day he made me spaghetti for breakfast. The day she yelled at my sister for coming home at 6am. The day she taught me how to play Pokino. So I leave it for another time, but I know I just have to jump back in there and get it done. How hard can it be? Read them and be done. Well, maybe another day. A week or so goes by and I try again. I try t...

Want to impress your holiday company with a quick yet delicious dessert? This recipe is one you will make for many years to come if you enjoy these flavors, and you know what the best part is? NO BAKING! Yup, you read correctly. Fudge Balls 1 lb confectioners sugar 3 tablespoons cocoa 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup melted butter toppings of choice Directions: 1. Mix all ingredients together. Shape into balls(I make them like one inch) 2. Roll in topping - maybe colored sprinkles, peanuts, cookie crumbs, drizzle melted chocolate.....totally up to you! 3. Refrigerate. Eat. Awesome. They can be cutely displayed in tiny candy papers or just stacked into a pyramid. I promise if you like chocolate and peanut butter you will love these. Happy non-baking!

Hey person on the long holiday line in the store. The person that waits until they get that absolute final price from the cashier and THEN decides to dig out the wallet, and THEN decides to dig for exact change. I've tried being patient and understanding, and most difficult for me silent. But today I'm here to tell you I'll be quiet no more. I'll huff and puff and tell you to move it or lose it. I'll tell you to just give the gal some bills and take the change! I'll tell you perhaps you'd be better off doing some online shopping. A common courteousy of shopping is to be ready when it's your turn. Ok, whew, I feel better now. I'll step off the box, but be ready if I see you in a store :)

Yes, a few days ago I posted that I'm Christmas'd out. But you can't deny the greatness that is the music of the season. Even though I'm tired of hearing it, I do truly love Christmas music. While not my all-time favorite Christmas song, I do love Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me by Elvis. Caught myself singing it a tad too loud in the store yesterday. It has a fun beat and cute lyrics. Elvis has been part of my regular rotation for as long as I can remember, and add to it Christmas and it's a perfect mix! If you don't own the Elvis Christmas CD, or live in a cave and never even heard it, give it a try. What's one of your favorite Christmas songs? I don't need a lot of presents To make my Christmas bright I just need my baby's arms Wound around me tight Oh oh santa hear my plea Santa bring my baby back to me The Christmas tree is ready The candles all aglow But with my baby far away What good is mistletoe Oh oh Santa, hear my plea Santa...

The tree is up. There's 3 ornaments on it so far. It's hard enough to put it up so early no less have to decorate it. But being that our whole life revolves around Christmas all year long, why wait another moment to put the tree up. Heck, I'm shocked it didn't go up earlier! I don't know if all kids with Autism go through 'obsessions', but I know many that do. Sometimes they can last for a few weeks, and sometimes, as in our case, well over a year. It started with something simple I'm sure, maybe a book or a tv show, but it snowballed. Fast. Uncontrollably. At first it was fun, who doesn't love Christmas?!? And, I was ok with it because Alex was actually interested in something. It kept his interest, encouraged pretend play, and made him happy. What more could I ask for? And here we about 14 months later. I just looked at this post and realized just how long it has been. Funny how at that time I really thought it would just fade away. That same...

Christmas was two days ago. To me it is now officially over. The presents were all put away yesterday, and the ornaments came off the tree last night. A few more things to do around here and it will look like Christmas never even happened. Except, there's one person, with one toy here, that is going to make it very difficult to forget about Santa. Part of who my little Alex is makes him have a new obsession every few weeks or months. He will get 'stuck' on a topic, and then eat, sleep, play, and dream it. Usually they last 4-6 weeks, so we always look ahead and know something different will come soon enough. BUT, in our house, it has been Christmas since mid-October. Somewhere along the way Alex saw something santa/reindeer related and he had his mind set one what he wanted to do for the next few months. Me being the nice mom I am, and being happy that he chose something to actually play with, I scoured the internet for a great santa toy. I was sick of creating sleighs ...

Many people look at the photo to the left and see absolutely nothing of importance. Just a half of a walnut with some cotton and thin rope. I look at the photo and see part of my childhood gone, part of who I am sadly missing. My grandfather has been the most important person in my life. Of course I have a kind husband and great kids, but their importance is different. My grandpa taught me many things about life, love, and everything in between, even if I wasn't really paying attention at the time. Of course because of him I can fry the perfect egg and change my own spark plugs, but I also have a greater understanding of what true love between two people is really like, and how to give unselfishly to my family. I'm digressing from my walnut. Grandpa loved working with his hands, a trait I undoubtedly received from him. He was a big, burly man, but could work on intricate things as if he had the hands of a thin woman. One thing he made that has brought a smile to my f...

What happened to the huge family gatherings that would last until almost midnight? Filled with food, lots of wine, and the unbuttoning of many pairs of pants around the table. In our family those wonderful times are long gone. Why? Because everyone already has their eye on the brass ring of Christmas. And more importantly, they are all overly concerned today with the sales of tomorrow. What time does that store open? 4am? 6am? Midnight? May as well just stay open 24 hours at that point. Can't we all just be content for one day, to sit back, enjoy the day, and be thankful for what we have? I can hit a good sale any day of the year if I try hard enough. But not tomorrow.